


Storms & Boats

by viennajones



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: M/M, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-25
Updated: 2013-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 02:20:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1101231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viennajones/pseuds/viennajones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur lives on a houseboat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the "Storm" prompt over at the [Arthurversary](http://alby-mangroves.livejournal.com/38017.html). Unbeta'ed.

Arthur seems to be the harbringer of the storm when he shows up at Merlin's doorstep, his hair perfectly windswept, carrying a bag of groceries and a small suitcase. Merlin ushers him inside and closes the door before the twirling leaves find their way into his hallway again. Only a moment later, rain starts tapping against the roof and windows. 

"Someone likes cutting it close," Merlin remarks and glances out the window at the darkening sky.

"Well, someone was too stupid to stock up on food even though there was a storm warning," Arthur says and shoves the grocery bag into Merlin's arms,"I am quite possibly saving you from starvation."

"Yeah, well, I'm saving you from drowing along with your houseboat. Who lives on a houseboat, seriously?"

But later, when they've eaten half of the food Arthur brought with him and the power has gone out, Merlin is secretly glad that Arthur needed a place to wait out the storm and that he chose to do it with Merlin. 

He thinks that maybe, the roaring wind and violent rain couldn't have hurt Arthur anyway; Arthur reminds him of a storm, loud and wild, mighty and strong and sometimes dangerous, but at the same time calm and silent like the eye of the most vicious hurricane. 

He remembers that there was a storm on the day they met, too.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Add-on because someone wondered why Arthur was living on a houseboat.

The favourite memory Arthur has of his mother is of one of those pleasantly warm and sunny days in early spring, the world unnaturally bright and buzzing with the energy of nature when it has only just become alive again. 

They were on holiday, but Uther had, predictably, brought work with him, so it was mostly Arthur and his mother exploring the area when the weather was nice enough, or playing board games when it rained. They had just eaten the year's first ice cream (chocolate for Arthur, pistachio for Ygraine) and were walking along the small harbour of a picturesque village, the name of which Arthur can't remember anymore, when Igraine spotted sign for boat tours along the coast. She asked Arthur how he would like to go on a boat ride with her. 

The image of her standing at the railing, blonde hair spilling out of the navy blue scarf she'd wrapped around her head, gazing out at shoreline passing by, is the way he always thinks of her. The smell of the sea reminds him of that day, just like the soft splashing of water against a boat's hull and the distant cries of seagulls.

Ygraine died in a car accident only a few weeks after they'd returned back home to England, leaving Arthur behind with an emotionally distant father and memories that were fading quickly, but he never forgot about that day on the boat. 

Years later, when he had just decided that he wasn't going to study business like his father wanted him to and was consequently told that Uther wouldn't be funding the waste of time that getting a teaching degree was, he stumbled across a guy who owned a houseboat and was looking for a roommate. Gwaine told him so while hitting on Arthur at a bar, and he whined a lot about how nobody actually wanted to live on a houseboat. 

Arthur made Gwaine swear that he'd never hit on him again when he moved in. Because Gwaine was naturally flirty and also always horny, that promise was broken many times, but Arthur loved living on the boat too much to be bothered by it. 

Gwaine was gone now, tavelling the world, but Arthur didn't think he would ever move off the boat. He felt save here, at home. (Contrary to what the police said, he was pretty sure that he would've been fine even during the storm, but they insisted.)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [And Now I Live For the Storm (Joy in Repetition Remix)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1490566) by [Mellacita](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mellacita/pseuds/Mellacita)




End file.
